Invitation to join the Google group  Mechanics: Modeling, Experimentation and Computation

An interesting blog discussion on the disappearance of fundamentals from teaching in Universities was brought to my attention.  It serves as an interesting reminder that we who are educators in the University system must be ever vigilent in planning mechanics curricula and changes to curriculum.  Should we be offering courses in the area of this month's jClub, "Nanomechanics"?  Should we drop classical courses that have stopped being interesting to the majority of students (and thus attract low numbers)?  Should we educate students explicitly in biomechanics without providing them a classical mechanics background?  These are the questions we are likely to face in the next few years as change continues to sweep across the university system, especialy in the US but elsewhere as well.  I believe that we as a community have a responsibility here to ensure that the high standards of the discipline are maintained through teaching of fundamentals and the passing along of these values to future generations!

On Wednesday morning, I received an email from Anastassia Paskaleva. She was unable to create an account on iMechanica, because CAPTCHA kept telling her that she typed the letters wrong. Lesley Lam, iMechanicia user number 1, has just fixed the problem. Now new users can register once more. We apologize for the inconvenience that this problem might have caused you, and thank Anastassia for letting us know the problem.

25 June to 6 July 2007

Invitation to join the Finite Element Analysis Google Group.

Many information about finite element analyses is added by users.

Recently, the Royal Society Science book prize shortlist was announced; though the shortlisted books cover psychology, evolution, biodiversity, medicine and neurobiology, none in the area of materials or mechanics made it to the list. Or, pick any Best American Science writing volume--there are hardly any articles about materials or mechanics that make it to these anthologies.

• Free energy and generalized coordinate. Equilibrium and stability
• Control parameter
• Configurational transitions of two types
• Critical point of configurational transition of the second type. Bifurcation analysis
  
• Behavior near a critical point. Post-bifurcation analysis
• Load-displacement relation near a critical point
• Koiter's theory of imperfection sensitivity
• A family of systems of many degrees of freedom
• Mode of bifurcation
• Vibration in the neighborhood of an equilibrium configuration

The 19th Annual Melosh Competition for the Best Student Paper in Finite Element Analysis was held last Friday, April 27, at ETH Zurich. Two medalists were selected this year from the six finalists. The 2007 Melosh Medalists are Vikram Gavini, from Caltech, and Michael Hain, from Leibniz University, Hannover.

David Turnbull died peacefully at home last Saturday, April 28th, at age 92.

He was for many years Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics at Harvard University. His seminal work included theoretical and experimental studies of nucleation of crystals, the glass transition and the amorphous state, crystal growth, and atomic diffusion.

Welcome to the May 2007 issue. This issue focuses on experimental nanomechanics of nanobuilding blocks. The extremely small dimensions of nanobuilding blocks (for instance, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanowires) have imposed great challenges to many existing instruments, methodologies, and even theories.  In this issue, we will discuss – (1) experimental techniques and (2) size-effects.